Dry closets

ABSTRACT

There is provided a dry closet of the type with which human waste charged thereto is rendered less obnoxious by biological decomposition processes. The closet has a bed of material capable of biologically decomposing excrements received thereon. Means are provided for stirring the bed to break up the bed so as to ensure sufficient aeration of same and to prevent the accumulation of feces on top of the bed. At least the surface on which the bed rests in the closet is provided with means for permitting passage of biologically decomposed matter from the interior of the closet to a withdrawable box arranged therebeneath. The effectiveness of the sanitary arrangements for summer cottages, holiday cabins and like unmodernized dwelling places has become the subject of serious discussion with the majority of organizations concerned with the care and protection of the environment, especially since the number of temporary so-called recreation cottages and cabins has greatly increased in latter years. Different types of closets have been designed, in an attempt to meet the requirements of effective sanitation where there is no possibility of connecting such dwelling places with existing municipal sewage systems. The present invention relates to the type of closet with which human excrement is decomposed biologically. Closets with which feces and urine are biologically decomposed and the water content of the urine evaporated off are at present commercially available. It should be noted, however, that an adult person produces each day an average 1.5 litres of urine and 0.25 kg of feces, the urine being the most troublesome waste to handle. If the urine is not subjected to the correct treatment, the urine is converted to an alkaline, illsmelling ammonium carbonate solution. Under poor conditions the bacteriological decomposition of feces and soiled toilet paper gives rise to the generation of ill-smelling gases, such as hydrogen sulphide, methane etc. With some known closets, the waste products are received on an absorbent bed of sawdust, wood chips or the like. The disadvantage with such devices, however, is that repeated use of the closet causes the absorbent bed to be compressed, so that the resorption ability of the bed is rapidly impaired, whereby the decomposition takes place more slowly.

United States Patent Modig 1 DRY CLOSETS [75] Inventor: Torsten Modig, Umea, Sweden [73] Assignee: A B Gustavsbergs Fabriker,

Gustavsberg, Sweden [22] Filed: Sept. 14, 1973 [2]] Appl. No.: 397,234

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data OTHER PUBLICATIONS Humus-Toilet, 10-1972, Switzerland Publication. Mul1bank, 4l97l, Swedish Publication.

Primary Iz'xaminer-Henry K. Artis Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Hammond & Littell [5 7] ABSTRACT There is provided a dry closet of the type with which human waste charged thereto is rendered less obnoxious by biological decomposition processes. The closet has a bed of material capable of biologically decomposing excrements received thereon. Means are provided for stirring the bed to break up the bed so as to ensure sufficient aeration of same and to prevent the accumulation of feces on top of the bed. At least the surface on which the bed rests in the closet is provided Jan. 14, 1975 with means for permitting passage of biologically decomposed matter from the interior of the closet to a withdrawable box arranged therebeneath.

' The effectiveness of the sanitary arrangements for Closets with which feces and urine are biologically decomposed and the water content of the urine evaporated off are at present commercially available. It should be noted, however, that an adult person produces each day an average 1.5 litres of urine and 0.25 kg of feces, the urine being the most troublesome waste to handle. If the urine is not subjected to the correct treatment, the urine is converted to an alkaline, illsmelling ammonium carbonate solution. Under poor conditions the bacteriological decomposition of feces and soiled toilet paper gives rise to the generation of illsmelling gases, such as hydrogen sulphide, methane etc. With some known closets, the waste products are received on an absorbent bed of sawdust, wood chips or the like. The disadvantage with such devices, however, is that repeated use of the closet causes the absorbent bed to be compressed, so that the resorption ability of the bed is rapidly impaired, whereby the decomposition takes place more slowly.

7 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATENTED JAN I 4l975 SHEET 1 [IF 2 PATENT'ED 3,859,672

' same [1F 2 IIIIIIIIIIIIID DRY CLOSETS The object of the invention is to provide a closet of the type hereinbefore mentioned with which the disadvantages associated with known closets are at least substantially eliminated.

Accordingly there is provided a closet having a preferably detachable collecting vessel provided with a body of material capable of biologically decomposing human waste matter, and with which closet openings are disposed on at least a part of the bottom of the collecting vessel. The prime function of the invention is to treat forces and urine to prevent the occurrence of obnoxious smells during the decomposition process, and is characterized in that the closet is provided with means arranged to cause, preferably intermittently, at least part of the body of material to move in at least one direction and preferably immediately human waste enters the closet.

By means of the invention it is ensured that a. the body of material is constantly porous and capable of rapidly absorbing urine, b. that urine and feces are subjected to the effect of suitable bacteria throughout the whole volume of said body, and c. that sufficient oxygen is constantly always supplied.

It has been found that experimentally that by means of the present invention a closet which is practically totally free from ill-smelling odors can be obtained at particularly low costs.

Under certain conditions it can be convenient to move the body of material continuously. To this end the closet of the present invention may be provided with radially extending paddles or arms journalled for rotation on the walls of the collecting vessel and arranged to move the body of material continuously.

So that the invention may be more readily understood and further features thereof made apparent, a closet constructed in accordance with the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which FIG. 1 is a side view of a closet provided with agitating means according to the invention, and

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the closet shown in FIG. 1.

The exemplary closet has an upper surface 10, an elevatable lid 11 connected to the surface 10, side walls 12 and 13 and a bottom portion 14. Extending obliquely downwardly from the underneath of surface is a urine chute 15, the side edges of which diverge outwardly. The lower portion of the urine chute 15 is of U-shape configuration and is perforated, to provide for satisfactory dispersion of urine entering the chute, for a purpose described hereinafter.

A sheet metal collecting vessel 16 is conveniently removably suspended from the inner surfaces of the side walls 12 and 13. Although not necessary, the whole of the vessel 16 may be perforated, the essential thing that openings are provided in the bottom of the vessel. As will be seen from the drawing, the collecting vessel 16 is partly filled with a body 20 of material suitable for biologically decomposing the waste matter charged to the closet; the composition of such material is known per se and does not form part of the invention. The body of material shall have a pH, degree of moistness and nutrient value suitable for the bacterial process.

Extending approximately centrally of the vessel 16 and across the same is a shaft 17 which is journalled for rotation on the inner surfaces of side walls 12,13. The shaft 17 carries a number of generally radially or radially extending arms 18,19, all of which with the exemplary embodiment are bent slightly in the direction of rotation of the shaft 17 and have the character of turbine blades. The arms 19 are arranged to contact or almost contact at'least the major portion of the wall surfaces of the vessel 16 covered by the body of material 20 during rotation of the shaft 17, while the arms 18 are of shorter length than the arms 19.

Located immediately beneath the perforated bottom portion of the vessel 16 is a horizontally working shutter central device 21 which controls an operable shutter 22, to enable the decomposed matter, called here humus, to be readily discharged into a withdrawable container 28 arranged beneath the shutter 22.

When the whole of the vessel 16 is perforated, any spillage is taken up by the containers 28.

The closet of the present invention operates in the following way: when urine is automatically distributed over the whole or over part of the surface of the material body 20 via the chute l5 and feces are supported by said surface, the shaft 17 is actuated and the arms 18,19 begin to rotate, thereby stirring the body of material 20. In addition to be broken up by the arms 18,19 thereby aerating the material body, the newly introduced feces are effectively mixed into said body of material. As will be seen from FIG. 1, the arms 18,19 of the exemplary embodiment effectively work the whole body 20, from top to bottom thereof. No anaerobic conditions can therefore arise, and the whole of the bed takes part in the decomposition process.

In addition to the components hereinbefore described, the exemplary closet is also provided with a vertically extending air passage 23 and horizontally extending air passages 24, 25. A heat generating device 26, which with the exemplary embodiment is envisaged to be a radiator element, is arranged on the insideof side wall 13. Such a device may be suitable under certain climatic conditions.

With the shown embodiment, the shaft 17 is manually operated by means of a handle 27, although it will be understood that rotation of the shaft 27 may be controlled by simple means, such as an electric relay (not shown) connected to the lid 11. Rotation of the shaft 17 may optimally be controlled to provide for intermittent or continuous agitation of the body 20 when the closet is in use. The shaft 17 may also be arranged for rotation in both directions and the shape of arms 18,19 is not restricted to that shown. The number of arms 18,19 may also be different to that shown and the arms may be made adjustable in different ways. The essential factor is that the body of material 2.0 is caused to move; the direction of movement is immaterial and the means by which such movement is effected may be different the those described and illustrated. here.

I claim:

1. A closet for the biological decomposition of human waste matter, comprising a collecting vessel having its bottom at least partly perforated and containing a bed of material suitable for biologically decomposing such waste matter introduced thereto, and mechanical means within said vessel and projecting into said bed material for moving, at least intermittently, at least part of the bed material for aerating the same and for removing newly introduced waste matter from its point of falling onto the bed and for mixing such matter with said bed material, said mechanical means comprising a horizontal shaft, rotatably journaled to the side walls of said vessel, and a number of arms attached to said shaft and extending in generally radial directions therefrom.

2. A closet according to claim 1, wherein the arms are located on opposite sides of the shaft and along the length of said shaft.

3. A closet according to claim 1, wherein said arms are curved in the axis of rotation of said shaft, and have different lengths.

4. A closet according to claim 1, wherein at least some of said arms are arranged to contact or almost contact portions of the inner walls of the collecting vessel covered by the material bed, upon rotation of the shaft.

vessel. 

1. A closet for the biological decomposition of human waste matter, comprising a collecting vessel having its bottom at least partly perforated and containing a bed of material suitable for biologically decomposing such waste matter introduced thereto, and mechanical means within said vessel and projecting into said bed material for moving, at least intermittently, at least part of the bed material for aerating the same and for removing newly introduced waste matter from its point of falling onto the bed and for mixing such matter with said bed material, said mechanical means comprising a horizontal shaft, rotatably journaled to the side walls of said vessel, and a number of arms attached to said shaft and extending in generally radial directions therefrom.
 2. A closet according to claim 1, wherein the arms are located on opposite sides of the shaft and along the length of said shaft.
 3. A closet according to claim 1, wherein said arms are curved in the axis of rotation of said shaft, and have different lengths.
 4. A closet according to claim 1, wherein at least some of said arms are arranged to contact or almost contact portions of the inner walls of the collecting vessel covered by the material bed, upon rotation of the shaft.
 5. A closet according to claim 1, wherein said shaft supporting the arms is controlled for rotation by an electric relay.
 6. A closet according to claim 1, wherein a shutter device is located immediately adjacent the at least partly perforated bottom portion of the collecting vessel, and wherein a withdrawable box for collecting biologically decomposed waste is located beneath said shutter device.
 7. A closet according to claim 1, wherein heat generating means is arranged on one side of said collecting vessel. 